IV.
THE PETERKINS' EXCURSION FOR MAPLE SUGAR.
It was, to be sure, a change of plan to determine to go to Grandfather'sfor a maple-sugaring instead of going to Egypt! But it seemed best.Egypt was not given up,--only postponed. "It has lasted so manycenturies," sighed Mr. Peterkin, "that I suppose it will not crumblemuch in one summer more."
The Peterkins had determined to start for Egypt in June, and ElizabethEliza had engaged her dressmaker for January; but after all their planswere made, they were told that June was the worst month of all to go toEgypt in,--that they would arrive in midsummer, and find the climatealtogether too hot,--that people who were not used to it died of it.Nobody thought of going to Egypt in summer; on the contrary, everybodycame away. And what was worse, Agamemnon learned that not only thesummers were unbearably hot, but there really was no Egypt insummer,--nothing to speak of,--nothing but water; for there was a greatinundation of the river Nile every summer, which completely covered thecountry, and it would be difficult to get about except in boats.
Mr. Peterkin remembered he had heard something of the sort, but he didnot suppose it had been kept up with the modern improvements.
Mrs. Peterkin felt that the thing must be very much exaggerated. Shecould not believe the whole country would be covered, or that everybodywould leave; as summer was surely the usual time for travel, there mustbe strangers there, even if the natives left. She would not be sorry ifthere were fewer of the savages. As for the boats, she supposed aftertheir long voyage they would all be used to going about in boats; andshe had thought seriously of practising, by getting in and out of therocking-chair from the sofa.
The family, however, wrote to the lady from Philadelphia, who hadtravelled in Egypt, and whose husband knew everything about Egypt thatcould be known,--that is, everything that had already been dug up,though he could only guess at what might be brought to light next.
The result was a very earnest recommendation not to leave for Egypt tillthe autumn. Travellers did not usually reach there before December,though October might be pleasant on account of the fresh dates.
So the Egypt plan was reluctantly postponed; and, to make amends for thedisappointment to the little boys, an excursion for maple syrup wasproposed instead.
Mr. Peterkin considered it almost a necessity. They ought to acquaintthemselves with the manufactures of their own new country beforestudying those of the oldest in the world. He had been inquiring intothe products of Egypt at the present time, and had found sugar to be oneof their staples. They ought, then, to understand the American methodsand compare them with those of Egypt. It would be a pretty attention,indeed, to carry some of the maple sugar to the principal dignitariesof Egypt.
But the difficulties in arranging an excursion proved almost as greatas for going to Egypt. Sugar-making could not come off until it waswarm enough for the sun to set the sap stirring. On the other hand,it must be cold enough for snow, as you could only reach the woods onsnow-sleds. Now, if there were sun enough for the sap to rise, it wouldmelt the snow; and if it were cold enough for sledding, it must be toocold for the syrup. There seemed an impossibility about the whole thing.The little boys, however, said there always had been maple sugar everyspring,--they had eaten it; why shouldn't there be this spring?
Elizabeth Eliza insisted gloomily that this was probably old sugar theyhad eaten,--you never could tell in the shops.
Mrs. Peterkin thought there must be fresh sugar occasionally, as the oldwould have been eaten up. She felt the same about chickens. She nevercould understand why there were only the old, tough ones in the market,when there were certainly fresh young broods to be seen around thefarm-houses every year. She supposed the market-men had begun with theold, tough fowls, and so they had to go on so. She wished they had begunthe other way; and she had done her best to have the family eat up theold fowls, hoping they might, some day, get down to the young ones.
As to the uncertainty about the weather, she suggested they should go toGrandfather's the day before. But how can you go the day before, whenyou don't yet know the day?
All were much delighted, therefore, when Hiram appeared with thewood-sled, one evening, to take them, as early as possible the nextday, to their grandfather's. He reported that the sap had started,the kettles had been on some time, there had been a light snow forsleighing, and to-morrow promised to be a fine day. It was decidedthat he should take the little boys and Elizabeth Eliza early, in thewood-sled; the others would follow later, in the carry-all.
Mrs. Peterkin thought it would be safer to have some of the party go onwheels, in case of a general thaw the next day.
A brilliant sun awoke them in the morning. The wood-sled was filled withhay, to make it warm and comfortable, and an arm-chair was tied in forElizabeth Eliza. But she was obliged to go first to visit the secretaryof the Circumambient Society, to explain that she should not be presentat their evening meeting. One of the rules of this society was to takealways a winding road when going upon society business, as the word"circumambient" means "compassing about." It was one of its laws to copyNature as far as possible, and a straight line is never seen in Nature.Therefore she could not send a direct note to say she should not bepresent; she could only hint it in general conversation with thesecretary; and she was obliged to take a roundabout way to reach thesecretary's house, where the little boys called for her in herwood-sled.
What was her surprise to find eight little boys instead of three! Inpassing the school-house they had picked up five of their friends, whohad reached the school door a full hour before the time. Elizabeth Elizathought they ought to inquire if their parents would be willing theyshould go, as they all expected to spend the night at Grandfather's.Hiram thought it would require too much time to stop for the consent often parents; if the sun kept on at this rate, the snow would be gonebefore they should reach the woods. But the little boys said most of thelittle boys lived in a row, and Elizabeth Eliza felt she ought not totake the boys away for all night without their parents' knowledge. Theconsent of two mothers and two fathers was gained, and Mr. Dobson wasmet in the street, who said he would tell the other mother. But at eachplace they were obliged to stop for additional tippets and great-coatsand India-rubber boots for the little boys. At the Harrimans', too, theHarriman girls insisted on dressing up the wood-sled with evergreens,and made one of the boys bring their last Christmas-tree, that wasleaning up against the barn, to set it up in the back of the sled, overElizabeth Eliza. All this made considerable delay; and when they reachedthe high-road again, the snow was indeed fast melting. Elizabeth Elizawas inclined to turn back, but Hiram said they would find the sleighingbetter farther up among the hills. The armchair joggled about a gooddeal, and the Christmas-tree creaked behind her; and Hiram was obligedto stop occasionally and tie in the chair and the tree more firmly.
But the warm sun was very pleasant, the eight little boys were verylively, and the sleigh-bells jingled gayly as they went on.
It was so late when they reached the wood-road that Hiram decided theyhad better not go up the hill to their grandfather's, but turn off intothe woods.
"Your grandfather will be there by this time," he declared.
Elizabeth Eliza was afraid the carry-all would miss them, and thoughtthey had better wait. Hiram did not like to wait longer, and proposedthat one or two of the little boys should stop to show the way. But itwas so difficult to decide which little boys should stay that he gaveit up. Even to draw lots would take time. So he explained that therewas a lunch hidden somewhere in the straw; and the little boys thoughtit an admirable time to look it up, and it was decided to stop in thesun at the corner of the road. Elizabeth Eliza felt a little jouncedin the armchair, and was glad of a rest; and the little boys soondiscovered an ample lunch,--just what might have been expected fromGrandfather's,--apple-pie and doughnuts, and plenty of them! "Luckywe brought so many little boys!" they exclaimed.
Hiram, however, began to grow impatient. "There 'll be no snow left," heexclaimed
, "and no afternoon for the syrup!"
But far in the distance the Peterkin carry-all was seen slowlyapproaching through the snow, Solomon John waving a red handkerchief.The little boys waved back, and Hiram ventured to enter upon thewood-road, but at a slow pace, as Elizabeth Eliza still feared that bysome accident the family might miss them.
It was with difficulty that the carry-all followed in the deep but softsnow, in among the trunks of the trees and over piles of leaves hiddenin the snow. They reached at last the edge of a meadow; and on the highbank above it stood a row of maples, a little shanty by the side, a slowsmoke proceeding from its chimney. The little boys screamed withdelight, but there was no reply. Nobody there!
"The folks all gone!" exclaimed Hiram; "then we must be late." And heproceeded to pull out a large silver watch from a side pocket. It was solarge that he seldom was at the pains to pull it out, as it took time;but when he had succeeded at last, and looked at it, he started.
"Late, indeed! It is four o'clock, and we were to have been here byeleven; they have given you up."
The little boys wanted to force in the door; but Hiram said it was nouse,--they wouldn't understand what to do, and he should have to see tothe horses,--and it was too late, and it was likely they had carried offall the syrup. But he thought a minute, as they all stood in silence andgloom; and then he guessed they might find some sugar at Deacon Spear's,close by, on the back road, and that would be better than nothing. Mrs.Peterkin was pretty cold, and glad not to wait in the darkening wood; sothe eight little boys walked through the wood-path, Hiram leading theway; and slowly the carry-all followed.
They reached Deacon Spear's at length; but only Mrs. Spear was at home.She was very deaf, but could explain that the family had taken all theirsyrup to the annual festival.
"We might go to the festival," exclaimed the little boys.
"It would be very well," said Mrs. Peterkin, "to eat our fresh syrupthere."
But Mrs. Spear could not tell where the festival was to be, as she hadnot heard; perhaps they might know at Squire Ramsay's. Squire Ramsay'swas on their way to Grandfather's, so they stopped there; but theylearned that the "Squire's folks had all gone with their syrup to thefestival," but the man who was chopping wood did not know where thefestival was to be.
"They 'll know at your grandfather's," said Mrs. Peterkin, from thecarry-all.
"Yes, go on to your grandfather's," advised Mr. Peterkin, "for I thinkI felt a drop of rain." So they made the best of their way toGrandfather's.
At the moment they reached the door of the house, a party of youngpeople whom Elizabeth Eliza knew came by in sleighs. She had met themall when visiting at her grandfather's.
"Come along with us," they shouted; "we are all going down to the sugarfestival."
"That is what we have come for," said Mr. Peterkin.
"Where is it?" asked Solomon John.
"It is down your way," was the reply.
"It is in your own New Hall," said another. "We have sent down all oursyrup. The Spears and Ramsays and Doolittles have gone on with theirs.No time to stop; there's good sleighing on the old road."
There was a little consultation with the grandfather. Hiram said thathe could take them back with the wood-sled, when he heard there wassleighing on the old road; and it was decided that the whole partyshould go in the wood-sled, with the exception of Mr. Peterkin, whowould follow on with the carry-all. Mrs. Peterkin would take thearm-chair, and cushions were put in for Elizabeth Eliza, and moreapple-pie for all. No more drops of rain appeared, though the cloudswere thickening over the setting sun.
"All the way back again," sighed Mrs. Peterkin, "when we might havestayed at home all day, and gone quietly out to the New Hall!" Butthe little boys thought the sledding all day was great fun,--and theapple-pie! "And we did see the kettle through the cracks of the shanty!"
"It is odd the festival should be held at the New Hall," said ElizabethEliza; "for the secretary did say something about the society meetingthere to-night, being so far from the centre of the town."
This hall was so called because it was once a new hall, built to be usedfor lectures, assemblies, and entertainments of this sort, for theconvenience of the inhabitants who had collected about some flourishingfactories.
"You can go to your own Circumambient Society, then!" exclaimed SolomonJohn.
"And in a truly circumambient manner," said Agamemnon; and he explainedto the little boys that they could now understand the full meaning ofthe word, for surely Elizabeth Eliza had taken the most circumambientway of reaching the place by coming away from it.
"We little thought, when we passed it early this morning," saidElizabeth Eliza, "that we should come back to it for our maple sugar."
"It is odd the secretary did not tell you they were going to join thesugar festival," said Mrs. Peterkin.
"It is one of the rules of the society," said Elizabeth Eliza, "that thesecretary never tells anything directly. She only hinted at the plan ofthe New Hall."
"I don't see how you can find enough to talk about," said Solomon John.
"We can tell of things that never have happened," said Elizabeth Eliza,"or that are not likely to happen, and wonder what would have happenedif they had happened."
They arrived at the festival at last, but very late, and glad to find aplace that was warm. There was a stove at each end of the hall, and anencouraging sound and smell from the simmering syrup. There were longtables down the hall, on which were placed, in a row, first a bowl ofsnow, then a pile of saucers and spoons, then a plate of pickles,intended to whet the appetite for more syrup; another of bread, thenanother bowl of snow, and so on. Hot syrup was to be poured on the snowand eaten as candy.
The Peterkin family were received at this late hour with a wildenthusiasm. Elizabeth Eliza was an especial heroine, and was madedirectly the president of the evening. Everybody said that she had bestearned the distinction; for had she not come to the meeting by thelongest way possible, by going away from it? The secretary declared thatthe principles of the society had been completely carried out. She hadalways believed that if left to itself, information would spread itselfin a natural instead of a forced way.
"Now, in this case, if I had written twenty-nine notifications to thismeeting, I should have wasted just so much of my time. But theinformation has disseminated naturally. Ann Maria said what a good planit would be to have the Circumambients go to the sugaring at the NewHall. Everybody said it would be a good plan. Elizabeth Eliza came andspoke of the sugaring, and I spoke of the New Hall."
"But if you had told Elizabeth Eliza that all the maple syrup was to bebrought here--" began Mrs. Peterkin.
"We should have lost our excursion for maple syrup," said Mr. Peterkin.
Later, as they reached home in the carry-all (Hiram having gone backwith the wood-sled), Mr. and Mrs. Peterkin, after leaving little boys attheir homes all along the route, found none of their own to get out attheir own door. They must have joined Elizabeth Eliza, Agamemnon, andSolomon John in taking a circuitous route home with the rest of theCircumambients.
"The little boys will not be at home till midnight," said Mrs. Peterkin,anxiously. "I do think this is carrying the thing too far, after such aday!"
"Elizabeth Eliza will feel that she has acted up to the principles ofthe society," said Mr. Peterkin, "and we have done our best; for, as thelittle boys said, 'we did see the kettle.'"